The Joys of Parenting
by Forlay
Summary: A wild day in the life of Rachel, Cassie and their family.


_Author's Notes: Nothing much to say (I know, weird that I'm not gonna ramble), but I need to send out a huuuuuuuuuge thank you and hugs to the wonderful Jinako-chan, for being an all around cool person, whose cool attributes inclue being a constant spring board for ideas and my beta reader. ~hugs Jinako-chan~ You rock! Now everyone can go on to enjoy the fic :-)___

**The Joys of Parenting**   
** By: Forlay**

If Cassie didn't come home in the next five minutes, Rachel was going to scream.   
Rachel, Cassie and the kids had a tradition: at least one parent would be home to greet the kids when they got home from school on the first day. Originally Rachel and Cassie had planned to alternate years to be home, but Rachel had been away with work on the first day for the past two years. She had forgotten how exciteable the kids were on the first day after having spent all day sitting in a desk when they were used to running wild in the neighborhood.   
Susan, now officially a fourth grader, was rambling on and on about all the new friends she had met at school, how many of her old friends were in her class, and how cool her teacher was. "Ms. Chapman's really tiny and pretty and she said she used to do gymnastics! Just like you, Mommy!"   
Mike, a new second grader, didn't seem to care about his friends or his teacher, just the peanut butter and jelly sandwich Rachel was making "No, Mommy! You hafta cut it into two _triangles_, not two _rectangles_!"   
"Ms. Chapman said we're gonna learn how to multiply big numbers! And how to write right."   
"You hafta leave the crusts on, like Mom does, otherwise it falls apart."   
"When's Mom gonna be home? I wanna tell her about the class pet!"   
"Enough!" Rachel finally shouted. Susan and Mike snapped their mouths shut. Rachel took a deep breath and forced herself to speak in a gentle tone. "Susan, I don't know when Mom's going to be home, but I'm sure it will be soon." _I hope it will be soon!_ "Mike, I'm sorry I didn't make your sandwich right. If you don't want it, give it to your sister and I'll make you another one later. Right now. . . I'm going to check on Toni." Rachel practically ran from the kitchen to the bedroom of her youngest daughter, just to escape the older two kids' chattering.   
Rachel's heart always skipped a beat when she saw her youngest daughter. The three year old girl was exactly what Rachel had always wanted, but thought would be impossible when she and Cassie got together: a child of her own.   
Rachel loved Susan and Mike, there was no doubt about that, even when they were driving her insane. But while Mike did bear a resemblance to Rachel, with blond hair and blue eyes, Susan didn't look a thing like either of her mothers, with her auburn hair and green eyes. They had been adopted when they had each been about one year old. Toni, on the other hand, was in every sense of the word Rachel and Cassie's daughter, and looked the part.   
About four years ago, Cassie had been working with Andalite and human scientists on methods of animal conservation. They had begun working with animal populations where there did not seem to be enough unique genetic material left to keep the species going much longer. Among their experiments was a way to extract DNA from one female and implant it in the ovum of another female. After several successes, Cassie asked if it was possible for this procedure to be used on humans. There was some debate among the human scientists on whether it was right or ethical to do such a thing when obviously the species was in no danger of dying out, but the Andalites saw no problems, ethically or practically, on doing the procedure on humans.   
Rachel and Cassie had already been talking about having a third child, possibly via artificial insemination since Cassie had always wanted to experience raising a child from birth. Rachel had been hesitant about a third child. Taking care of then six year old Susan and four year old Mike was already enough for her. But when the opportunity arrose for her and Cassie to really have a child together, all her hesitation was gone. As long as Cassie was the one to be pregnant.   
Cassie laughed when she heard Rachel's terms for the pregnancy, but eagerly agreed. The procedure was easier than either woman had imagined and nine months later they had the daughter they had both always wanted: Toni.   
"Mommy!" Toni cried when Rachel walked into the room. She held her arms up for a hug.   
"Hi, sweetheart," Rachel said. She picked her daughter up from the bed. "What are you playing with?"   
Toni brought her hand, clutching a doll, in front of Rachel's face. "Rachel."   
Rachel sighed. Toni was playing with her most prized posession: a Barbie version of Rachel that Marco had given Toni for Christmas. Susan had one, too, though she had put hers on a stand in a display case in her bedroom. And for her last birthday, Marco had given Rachel a doll of her own. Dressed up as Xena. Rachel had daydreamed about destroying all of the dolls, but never seriously, especially when Toni loved hers so much. She was still too young to connect the name of the doll with her Mommy.   
"Rachel's tired. She needs a nap," Toni said seriously.   
Rachel laughed. "I know how she feels."   
"Tuck her in?"   
"Sure." Rachel set her daughter down. Toni went to work, putting the Rachel doll in her bed, taking care to cover her with the blankets. When she was satisfied she looked up to Rachel with somber blue eyes. _Cassie _must_ have had a white ancestor somewhere in her family,_ Rachel thought for the thousand-and-first time. But she didn't have time to dwell on the thought. She had enough times over the past three years. Instead she turned her attention to tucking in the doll carefully until Toni nodded her approval and held her arms up again for Rachel to pick her up.   
"Up we go," Rachel said as she lifted Toni up. "Let's go see Susan and Mike so Rachel -" A crash, followed by sudden silence, from the living room cut Rachel off. "Damn," she whispered, forgetting the girl she had in her arms. "Don't tell your mom I said that."   
"Damn," Toni said cheerfully.   
Rachel had to suppress the urge to curse again when Susan and Mike began to shout in unison, "MOMMY!"   
"Coming!" Rachel called back. She moved Toni to her hip, then quickly went towards the living room.   
In her haste, Rachel didn't watch where she was stepping. She stumbled in the hall, nearly dropping Toni in the process. "What the -" she muttered as she looked at the floor. Either Mike or Susan had been playing with their Legos before school. And, Rachel saw on closer inspection, their brand new Karate-Chop-Action Marco. Rachel made a mental note to make the responsible party clean it up. _After_ she sorted out whatever mess they'd gotten into now.   
"What happened?" Rachel asked as she hobbled into the living room. "Oh, my. . . ."   
The living room was a mess. Couch cushions had been pulled off the couch and flung about the room. Books that had been piled on the end tables were strewn on the floor. The crash Rachel had heard was the shelves filled with DVD cases being pulled to the floor.   
_This isn't what I need,_ Rachel thought.   
"It was her fault, Mommy!" Mike said, pointing at Susan.   
"No it wasn't!"   
"Yes it was!"   
"Nu-uh!"   
"Uh-huh!"   
"Nu-uh!"   
"QUIET!" Rachel shouted. Toni's face began to crumple. "Oh, no, don't cry, Toni!" Rachel begged. Toni began to sniff. "All right, know what? Everyone out to the car. We're getting out of here."   
"Yay!" Mike exclaimed.   
"I get shot gun!" Susan cried as she ran to the door.   
"Not fair!" Mike called after her.   
"Do you want to get Rachel?" Rachel asked Toni. Toni shook her head, then burried it in Rachel's shoulder. "Oh, I"m sorry for scaring you, sweetheart," Rachel said as she wrote a note for Cassie that they had gone out. She then grabbed her purse and keys and went out to the car.   
Susan and Mike were both tugging at the handle of the front passenger door of Rachel's car, arguing over who got to sit there. "Hey, hey!" Rachel said sharply. "Let go, both of you. Susan sists up front on the way there, Mike will on the way back." Susan stuck her tongue out at Mike. Rachel unlocked the car and helped Toni get into her seat before she got behind the steering wheel.   
"Where are we going, Mommy?" Susan asked.   
"I don't know where yet." Rachel took out her cell phone and dialed a number. "I'm going to see if you can spend an hour or two with someone."   
"No, Mommy!" Susan cried.   
"Shh," Rachel said. "Mommy needs a - oh, hello, Ax!" Rachel said into her phone. "It's Rachel. Could I ask a huge favor of you?" 

***

"I don't _wanna_ visit Ax," Susan wailed as Rachel pulled into Ax's driveway. It led to a modest house the government had provided for Ax to use when he was staying on Earth, which was more and more often lately. "I want Mom!" Susan continued.   
Rachel glanced in her rearview mirror and saw Toni's lower lip trembling. "Susan, lower your voice right now, you're upsetting your sister."   
"I don't care," Susan said. "You love her more than me!"   
"Oh, Susan," Rachel sighed. She leaned her forehead on the steering wheel. "That's not true. All three of you mean more to me than you can imagine. But you know how sometimes you want to be alone in your room without Mike bothering you? That's how Mommy feels right now."   
"So we could have stayed home and you could go to _your_ room!"   
"Susan, you don't always get to do exactly what you want to do. Now, we're all going to go inside, see Ax, and you three are going to have more fun than you can imagine. You know Ax is a crazy guy. And I think he has more TV channels than Marco."   
"Cool!" Mike said. "Come on, Mommy. I want to go in."   
"All right. Let's go." Rachel opened her door, then looked back to her eldest daughter. "Coming?"   
Susan sighed. "I guess. But I'm _not_ having fun."   
Rachel got out, then opened Toni's door and pulled the girl out of her seat. "No one said you had to, Susan." Rachel set Toni down so she could run after her brother. Rachel followed and Susan dragged behind.   
Mike had just barely rung the doorbell when Ax opened the door. "Hello, Michael. Hello, Toni, Rachel and Susan," he greeted formally.   
Mike burst into giggles when he saw Ax, without even correcting him on his name. Ax was in his human morph, of course, but over his jeans and T-shirt he had tied a frilly apron.   
Susan seemed a little surprised at Ax's unconventional apparal, but she was determined not to show it so she just frowned harder. Toni didn't care. She darted around Mike so she could hug Ax's leg.   
"This is. . . a new look for you, Ax," Rachel said.   
"Is this not appropriate clothing for taking care of children?" Ax asked.   
"Um, well, it's certainly not what I wear around the house, but whatever."   
"It's silly," Mike giggled.   
"Michael!" Rachel hissed. "Be nice!" She turned back to Ax. "They are driving me insane. Thank you _so much_ for looking after them. I'll be back in a little more than an hour. Bye, kids!" Mike waved absently back at Rachel; he was more interested in looking into Ax's house, trying to find the TV. Toni was too busy playing with Ax's apron strings to wave, and Susan was too angry with her mommy to do anything but glare. Rachel sighed, shook her head, and drove off. _First stop, the mall._   
Ax gently plucked the apron strings from Toni's grasp. "What shall we do this afternoon? I have the ingredients for baking chocolate chip cookies in my kitchen, or any number of other delicious snack goods."   
"Cookies?" Toni repeated. "I wanna make cookies!"   
"You can't make cookies, you're too little," Susan said.   
Toni tugged on the hem of Ax's apron. "Can I make cookies?"   
"We will make them together," Ax said. "The mothers on These Messages often have their children assisting in cooking, but I believe it is dangerous to allow a child as young as yourself to bake alone."   
"She didn't understand half of that," Susan said.   
"Where's your TV?" Mike demanded.   
"Are you allowed to watch TV?" Ax asked as he began to lead the way into his house. "Have you finished your homework? Do Rachel and Cassie have restrictions on TV watching?"   
"It's the first day of school We _never_ have homework," Mike said. "And Mommy lets us watch all the TV we want. It's Mom we have to look out for."   
"The TV is in there," Ax said, pointing to a room on his left. "toni and I shall go to the kitchen and proceed with our baking. Susan, what would you like to do?"   
"Go home to see Mom."   
Ax frowned. "I do not believe that is possible. If Cassie were home, Rachel would not have had a reason to bring you over here."   
"You asked me what I _wanted_ to do, not what I _could_ do."   
"Ah. I see. What would you like to do that can be done while in my house?"   
Susan pulled out a chair from the dining room table. "I'm gonna sit right here."   
"That is fine. Your sister and I shall be in the kitchen should you need us."   
"Whatever," Susan muttered.   
Mike ran into the dining room. "Susan, you've gotta see the TV he has! It's huge! An' he has about a billion channels. An' he has all the video game systems!" He grabbed his sister's arm and began to pull. "C'mon!"   
"I don't want to," Susan said, pulling her arm back.   
"Fine." Mike stuck his tongue out at Susan. She mimicked him and went back to her brooding while Mike went back to the TV.   
In the kitchen, Ax was pulling out the mixing bowls while Toni dragged a small stool out of a closet for her to stand on. She had already had Ax tie one of his spare aprons on her, wrapping the strings around her middle several times. She kept tripping over the hem, so Ax took a moment to drag the stool to the counter and set Toni on top of it, directly in front of the ingredients.   
"Oooh," Toni murmured. "She glanced back at Ax and saw his back was turned to her, so she grabbed a handful of brown sugar and shoved it all in her mouth. "Mmm!" Her Mom and Mommy _never_ let her eat the sugar on the rare ocassions they baked. Or any of the other yummy things that went into things like chocolate chip cookies. She reached out for a handful of chocolate chips, knocking over the bag of flour in the process. She coughed as a puff of flour flew into her face, then giggled as she ate her chocolate chips.   
"What do you find amusing?" Ax asked. He went back to the counter and found Toni's face covered in a light dusting of flour. "I do not believe that's where the flour belongs."   
Toni giggled. "It's funner!" She picked up some of the flour from the counter and began to transfer it from hand to hand. After a few transfers, she took one of Ax's hands and poured the flour into it.   
"Hm. I suppose it is." Ax let the flour drop onto the counter. "But flour is not delicious. I have tried it. Now, if you will hand me the -" Ax was interrupted by flour flying into his face, followed by Toni's giggles. "Toni," he said firmly, "that is not an appropriate use of flour."   
Toni wasn't listening. She had picked up twin handfuls of flour and was throwing them into the air. She shrieked with laughter and ran through the light shower of white powder falling to the floor.   
"Toni," Ax warned. "Toni!" He reached out for her, but slipped in the flour. He caught himself on the counter before he fell, but he caused more flour to fly.   
As the powder settled in a fine mist over himself and Toni, Ax found he had an irrepressible urge to laugh. Toni looked adorable, covered with flour patches, and he imagined he simply looked ridiculous.   
Toni stopped running around for a moment to look at Ax. Her eyes seemed to be asking if she was going to be in trouble. Ax shook his head. This was nothing like how television caregivers spent their afternoons, and this certainly wouldn't produce any delicious chocolate chip cookies, but it _was_ fun. Ax brushed a small handful of flour off the counter into his hand and tossed it gently at Toni. She squeeled and tried, unsuccessfully, to duck away from the cloud. She scooped some flour off the flour and flung it in Ax's direction. Soon the two were giggling and throwing flour quite rapidly.   
Susan heard her sister and Ax laughing in the kitchen, but was too stubborn to go see what could possibly be so fun about baking cookies.   
Eventually, the laughter penetrated Mike's TV induced stupor. He wandered through the dining room. "What're they doing?" he asked Susan. She shrugged, so Mike kept going to the kitchen. There he found Ax and Toni still throwing flour at eachother. "Cool!" he exclaimed. "Can I play?"   
Toni threw flour at him in reply. Mike laughed, picked some flour off the flour, and began flinging it around the kitchen.   
Susan grew more impatient for her mommy to come back when she heard Mike's laughter join Ax and Toni's. She checked her watch: they'd been at Ax's for 45 minutes. Mommy would be back soon, and they hadn't finished making the cookies. _Have they even _started_ making the cookies?_ Susan's stomach growled. Mike had decided he'd rather eat his sandwich than share with his, so she hadn't eaten since lunch. It had been a good lunch, as far as school lunches go, but it had been a long time ago. _I'll go in just long enough to steal a cookie. Or something,_ Susan thought as she slid off her chair. As quietly as she could, she stalked to the kitchen.   
And froze when she saw the mess her siblings and Ax had gotten in to.   
"Susan!" Toni cried.   
"Hey, Susan!" MIke said. "Come play!" He lobbed a flour ball in Susan's direction, but she nimbly stepped back.   
"Have you guys even _started_ the cookies?" Susan asked.   
Mike looked at Ax. "Is that what you guys were gonna do?"   
"Yes. But your sister had other ideas."   
"I want cookies," Susan grumbled. She picked her way through the flour covered battle field to the counter where most of the cooie ingredients remained untouched and the recipe book was open to a chocolate chip cookie recipe. Ignoring the crazy fight behind her, Susan began to carefully follow the directions in the book to make 'The World's Greatest Chocolate Chip Cookies'.   
She did fine, until the cookie dough got too thick for her to stir with a spoon. She looked around on the counter for Ax's electric mixer, but it wasn't set out.   
With a sigh, Susan turned around to ask Ax where he kept it. He wasn't there. _Must have gone to demorph,_ she thought. She was about to start rooting through cupboards when a fistful of flour hit her in the face.   
Mike burst out laughing and fell to the floor. Toni mimicked her older brother and did the same with even more enthusiasm.   
Susan wiped flour from her eyes and mouth. "Okay, first Mommy was gonna kill you for getting all dirty. Now I'm gonna kill you!" She reached into the first bag of ingrediants she found and threw a handful of the stuff at her brother before realizing it wasn't flour. It was brown sugar.   
Mike gasped as the sticky brown sugar hit him in the face. "Hey!"   
Susan grabbed flour and threw again. It hit Mike in generally the same area and stuck best where the brown sugar was.   
"Now you're gonna pay," Mike said. "C'mon, Toni! Get her!" He picked up handfuls of flour from the floor and began throwing.   
Susan couldn't help it. She began to giggle as she defneded herself, until she couldn't stop. 

***

Rachel frowned at her reflection in the mirror. "Can I really wear vinyl?" she asked herself. Before she could come up with an answer, she heard her cell phone ring. She deftly snatched it from her purse. "Hello?"   
"Where are you?"   
"Hi, Cassie! I'm in a dressing room at Hot Topic."   
Silence for a moment. "You took young children into Hot Topic? And then left them outside your dressing room?"   
"No, the kids are at Ax's. Hey, do you think I can wear a black vinyl mini dress?"   
"Rachel. Do you know how long you've been out?"   
Rachel glanced at her watch. "An hour?"   
"Try again."   
"What?" Rachel gave her watch a closer look. It had stopped. "Shit. My watch stopped. How long have they been there?"   
"Almost three hours."   
"Oh my God. Ax is going to kill me!"   
"He's not the only one."   
"Oh come on, Cassie. If you had been there this afternoon, you'd have done the same thing."   
"Hot Topic is not very high on my list of stores to patronize."   
Rachel muttered a curse as she tried to pull down the back zipper of her dress with one hand. "Well, you wouldn't wanted to get away. You've seen the living room, right?"   
"This is far from the first time they've made a mess. Kids do that. Especially on their first day of school."   
"You mean they've been like this before?"   
"Every year. Last time you were home, you only had to deal with little, happy Susan."   
"Where did that sweet little girl go?" Rachel mused.   
"Was she accusing us of loving Toni more than her again?"   
Rachel finally gave up on unzipping the dress one handed. "Yes. I'll explain it all when I get home. I need to go so I can take off this stupid dress. If the kids don't give me a hard time we'll be home in twenty minutes." Rachel hit the off button without waiting for Cassie's good bye.   
With both hands free, Rachel was able to unzip the dress and slink out of it quickly. She got dressed again and was out of the dressing room and the mall in record time.   
Ax's house wasn't very far from the mall. Usually Rachel was jealous of that, but his proximity to the sales wasn't on her mind this time as she sped to his house. She was berating herself for proving, once again, what an incompetant parent she was, and cursing the watch company for the defective watch.   
After ringing the doorbell at Ax's, Rachel didn't wait for him to answer. The front door was unlocked, so she walked in. "Ax?" she called. "Susan? Mike?"   
Ax came to the front hall. "Sh. The children are sleeping."   
Rachel did a double take, for two reasons. One reason was Ax was streaked with flour and other baking confections. The second was what he'd said. "_My_ kids are sleeping? Toni, maybe, but all three?"   
Ax nodded. "Come, they are in the living room." He began to lead the way.   
Rachel considered asking what had happened, but decided she probably didn't want to hear the story. She followed Ax to the living room.   
Some cartoon or other was showing quietly on TV. Susan, Mike and Toni were spread throughout the living room, flopped on the floor or a piece of furniture. All were soundly asleep and covered in more flour than Ax.   
Now Rachel had to ask. "Ax, what on Earth did you four do?"   
"I had originally planned on baking chocolate chip cookies with the children, but toni appeared to have a different idea," Ax said.   
"And you let her?"   
"I saw no harm in it, and she appeared to enjoy it, especially after her siblings joined us."   
"God, Cassie really is going to kill me," Rachel muttered. She went to the recliner where Susan was curled up. "Hey, Susan," she said as she gently shook her daughter's shoulder. "C'mon, sleepy head, wake up. It's time to go home."   
Susan's eyes slowly blinked open. "Mommy?"   
"Yep. You ready to go home?"   
Susan stretched out. "Yeah, I guess." She sat up and began picking at cookie dough that had hardened on her arm.   
"Looks like you guys had quiet a day," Rachel said as she bent down to awaken Mike, who had sprawled out on the floor.   
"You have no idea," Susan said. "Ouch," she murmured as she pulled off dough that was clinging to the hairs on her arm.   
"C'mon, sweetheart," Rachel said as she lifted Toni off the couch. Toni didn't answer, just burried her face in Rachel's shoulder. Rachel tried not to think of the flour and cookie dough that was being ground into her sweater. _Good mothers don't care. _She nudged Mike towards the door with her knee and Susan with her free hand. "Thanks so much again, Ax. And I'm sorry I was so late. My watch -"   
Ax held up a hand to silence Rachel. "It was my pleasure. No apologies necessary."   
Rachel looked down at Susan and Mike. "Are you guys going to say anything?"   
"Thanks," Susan and Mike mumbled. Toni said something into Rachel's shoulder that may have been a thank-you, or she may have been sleep talking. No one could hear her clearly.   
"Thanks again, Ax," Rachel said one last time at the front door. "I'll talk to you soon. About something other than a baby sitting job. Bye!"   
"Bye, Ax," Susan said. Mike waved before he jumped into the front seat of Rachel's car.   
"Hey!" Susan protested.   
"Remember the deal we made before we left?" Rachel asked as she snapped the dozing Toni into her seat. "You had shot gun here, so Mike gets it on the way home."   
"Fine," Susan said sullenly as she hopped into the backseat next to her sister.   
"Is Mom gonna be mad at us?" Mike asked as Rachel pulled out of Ax's neighborhood.   
"I doubt it," Rachel said. "She may make you two clean up the living room after you've had your baths, but she won't be mad." _At you._   
"Even though she always says we can't have food fights?"   
"She knows you were staying with Ax. She'll understand."   
"Was Ax always so weird?" Susan asked.   
Rachel laughed. "Honey, he used to be even weirder."   
Susan wrinkled her nose. She didn't think that was possible. Ax was already the weirdest person she knew.   
Rachel sighed when she pulled into her driveway. Cassie was waiting for them at the front door. _I'm in trouble._   
"Mom!" Mike shouted when he saw Cassie. He jumped from the car and ran, just a few steps ahead of Susan. Being taller, Susan made up the distance easily and reached Cassie to hug her tightly at the same time as her brother.   
"Oh my goodness," Cassie said when she saw her children. "What on Earth are you two -" she glanced up and saw Rachel carrying the equally dirty Toni, "- three covered in?"   
Susan grinned. "Cookie dough. I made it myself."   
"And flour," Mike added helpfully.   
"Don't you kids know you're supposed to bake cookie dough?"   
"Duh," Susan said. "But this was more fun!"   
"Are you mad?" Mike asked nervously.   
Cassie knelt down so she was at Mike's height. "I will never be mad at you, Mike." She grinned. "Especially when you look like you had the best first day of school ever."   
That renewed the conversation Susan and Mike had tried to start with Rachel earlier that afternoon. They were chattering non-stop when Rachel came up behind them, carrying Toni.   
"Hi," Rachel said to Cassie sheepishly.   
"Hi," Cassie said. "You want to get Toni washed up. I think she's ready for bed already."   
"No 'm not," Toni muttered.   
"Mom! You're not listening!" Susan whined.   
"Why don't you two tell me everything that happened today while we eat dinner," Cassie suggested, as she took one child's hand in each of her own. "Unless Ax fed you?"   
"I think I ate a little bit of cookie dought," Mike said.   
Susan looked back over her shoulder as Cassie led her to the dining room. Rachel was heading in the opposite direction towards the bathroom with Toni. "We're gonna eat without Mommy?"   
Rachel smiled a little at Susan's concern. _So she doesn't hate me,_ she thought. She didn't hear Cassie's answer to Susan's question, though. She'd reached the bathroom and Toni was beginning to squirm with the need to use it.   
Rachel began to run the bath water while Toni did what she needed to do. When the water reached the right temperature, Rachel put in the stopper and powered in Toni's favorite bubbles. Toni giggled as she watched mountains of bubbles rise from the water while Rachel undressed her.   
Rachel gently lowered Toni into the bathtub. "How's the water feel?"   
"Juuuust right," Toni said, drawing out the phrase like Mommy did when telling the Goldilocks story.   
"So did you have a fun time?" Rachel asked as she put shampoo in Toni's hair.   
"Yep."   
"You want to go back again?"   
Toni nodded. "Can I go every day?"   
"I don't think Ax's house could handle it."   
Toni looked confused for a moment, but didn't say anything. She was distracted by Mommy pouring water over her head.   
"How did you get all this flour in your hair?" Rachel wondered as she lathered up Toni's head a second time. Toni only giggled in reply. "You are a silly girl, you know that?"   
Toni scooped up a handful of bubbles then blew them in Rachel's face for an answer.   
"Hey!" Rachel laughed. "I thought you were sleepy!" Toni shrugged. "Oh you don't know any more? I think you're tired. I think you're getting sleepy. Very sleepy," Rachel said soothingly as she rinsed Toni's hair again. This time it came out clean. And after a quick scrub with a wash cloth, the flour and cookie dough came off of the rest of Toni's body.   
After blowing a couple bubbles back and fourth with Rachel, Toni's eyes began to droop. Rachel pulled the plug out of the tub. "Yep, it's definitely time for bed." Toni protested mildly as Rachel wrapped her in towels, then carried her to her bedroom and dressed her in pajamas. But she'd had a very big day for a little girl, so she was sound asleep after only a couple of verses of 'Hush Little Baby', her favorite lullaby for Mommy to sing.   
Rachel was still singing a verse, just to be sure Toni was asleep, when she saw a shadow from the door cross Toni's bed. Rachel turned to see Susan, already washed and dressed in her nightie, standing there. "Are you coming to tuck me in, Mommy?"   
"Of course." Rachel bent down and kissed Toni's forehead lightly before following her older daughter to her bedroom.   
Rachel sat on the edge of Susan's bed after the girl was tucked in securely. "Hm, I think you missed some cookie dough on your neck."   
Susan shrugged. "I'll wash it in the morning. Mommy?"   
"Yeah?"   
"I'm sorry we made you mad earlier. And I'm sorry for saying you loved Toni more than me."   
"And I'm sorry for yelling at you," Rachel said gently. "But thank you for the apology. I know how you feel, y'know."   
"You do?"   
"Yeah. You'll have to ask Grandma Naomi sometime about how mean I was to Aunt Sara when we were little."   
"That's not why I get mad."   
Rachel was surprised. "Why do you, then?"   
Susan frowned, concentrating on what she was trying to say. "I feel. . . like you and Mom love Mike and Toni because they look like they could be your kids. I mean, Toni _is _your kid. But I don't even look like I could be related."   
"Oh, Susan," Rachel whispered. She pulled Susan up and hugged her tight. "I'm sorry you feel like that, I never what you to and I know Mom doesn't, either. We love all of you just the same, for a bunch of different reasons."   
"Like what?"   
Rachel paused for a moment, thinking. "Well, you're the oldest, the very first person Mom and I had influence over. And you're just as opinionated as I am. And Mom and I can say you're our absolute favorite red head. We can't say that about Mike and Toni."   
"Why?"   
"Well, if Mom said Mike was her favorite blond, I'd be jealous, and if I said Toni was my favorite brunette, Mom would be jealous."   
"You get jealous, too?"   
"All the time," Rachel admitted. "I know I shouldn't, but it's hard."   
"Maybe we can not be jealous together?"   
Rachel smiled. "That definitely sounds like a plan." She planted a kiss on Susan's forehead. "How'd you get to be so smart?"   
Susan grinned. "My babysitter's an alien."   
Rachel laughed. "There's a story to tell Ms. Chapman and your friends tomorrow."   
"Oh yeah! Did I tell you Ms. Chapman used to do gymnastics?"   
"Yes, you did. And you know what? I think I had classes with her."   
Susans eyes widened. "No way!"   
"Yes way. Ask her if she remembers going to class with me tomorrow."   
"Wow, that'd be so cool if you knew eachother! Then I know I'd get a 100% on everything."   
"I wouldn't bet on that."   
"Did I tell you Alicia's in my class too?" Alicia was Jake's daughter and one of Susan's favorite relatives.   
"You might have, but you'll have to tell me the rest tomorrow. I need to say good night to your brother, then go talk to Mom."   
"Are you in trouble?"   
Rachel went to the door without giving Susan an answer. "Good night, Susan."   
Susan sighed. "Good night, Mommy." She settled back into her blankets as Rachel flipped off the light.   
The nighttime routine went much faster with Mike. He was going through a stage where he didn't like to be "all mushy an' stuff" with his mothers at night. Bed time stories and lullabies were for babies, but he still needed Rachel and Cassie to tuck him in and give him a kiss. They just couldn't stay and talk. Rachel didn't understand it; Susan hadn't gone through such a stage. Maybe it was a boy thing.   
Cassie was sitting on the couch in the living room, obviously waiting for Rachel. Rachel flopped down on the couch next to her. "What a day."   
"Indeed."   
Rachel looked at Cassie with mournful eyes. "Am I in trouble?"   
Cassie laughed lightly. "You sound like the kids."   
"That's the point. You work well with the kids. So am I?"   
"No, you're not in trouble," Cassie kissed Rachel's forehead. "I was just worried when I found your note saying you were going 'out' for an hour and the note was dated three hours ago."   
"I can't believe I did that, and I'm so sorry. You have no idea how much guilt I had coming home. It will never happen again, I swear."   
"Guilt?" Cassie asked.   
"As much as I want to believe you would have run off like I did, I know you wouldn't. You're definitely the better parent between the two of us."   
Cassie sighed. This wasn't the first time she and Rachel had had this conversation. "How many times do I need to tell you that there's no one else I'd rather be raising kids with? Maybe I'm more patient, but who do the kids go to when they want to go out for the day? Who did Susan go to immediately for costume suggestions for last year's class play? And Toni is absolutely in love with you."   
"Well, I suppose. . . ."   
"And who helped Mike build his pinewood derby car? And plays baseball with him?"   
"Okay, I get your point," Rachel said. "I'm not a bad parent. But you have to admit I'm not super Mom, either."   
"Neither am I. We're just doing what we can. And I think we're doing a pretty good job, even with our faults."   
Rachel smiled and leaned her head on Cassie's. "Thanks, Cassie."   
"It's what I'm here for."   
Rachel's stomach rumbled, interrupting the tender moment. "Is there any dinner left for me?"   
"Susan made sure to leave you a bowl of macaroni and cheese."   
"Oh. Yum," Rachel said with forced enthusiasm.   
"Yeah, well, after dinner, maybe I'll have a special 'dessert' planned for you. You didn't happen to by that dress from Hot Topic, did you?"   
Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Well, I didn't get the dress, but I picked up some other interesting things."   
"Good." Cassie patted Rachel's thigh, then stood up. "I'll see you in our room after we eat." She sauntered off.   
Rachel checked the living room clock. It was a bit earlier than they usually went to bed but. . . it had been a stressful day. She deserved a chance to relax. Even if she had to eat cold macaroni and cheese first. This impromptu 'dessert' Cassie had planned would make up for it. Dessert always sweetens the deal.   



End file.
